Anyone who receives a payroll payment from federal grant funding will be required to certify the percentage of effort spent on each grant on a biannual basis. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) circular A-21 provides examples of "Acceptable Methods for Payroll Distribution (J.8.c)." The University has selected "after-the-fact confirmation" where an individual confirms his/her salary distribution subsequent to the dates paid. Estimates of an individual's salary distribution are initially established before the work takes place on an appointment form. The salary distribution for the individuals working on sponsored projects must be monitored on an on-going basis and adjusted for changes in actual activity. Subsequent to the effort certification period, each faculty/staff member/student that has charged wages to a grant will receive a biannual effort certification report. On the effort certification report, he/she must confirm or change the percentage of total time spent on each grant, so that the payroll distribution reflects the actual work performed.

 

The PI is responsible for certifying to all effort expended on his/her sponsored agreements by approving all effort certification forms for those agreements. The effort certification forms for the PI must be approved by his/her supervisor. The University encourages the PI and all employees working under a grant or contract to keep this biannual requirement in mind throughout the year so that the employee and PI can certify reasonably to his or her level of effort on each project when requested. Accurate and timely effort reporting is a federal requirement and is audited every year. PIs who do not respond to the certification reporting request in a timely manner will be reported to their Dean and then the Provost. If the effort certifications are not submitted by the required deadlines, The Grants and Contracts Office will cease processing any expense paperwork until the effort certifications are received and complete.